Only Once
by LP Draconis
Summary: Back in fifth year when Voldemort was destroyed, alot of things changed. Now, when Hermione befriends Draco secretly, will there be something more?
1. Boarding the Hogwarts Express

Only Once  
  
  
  
Summary: Back in fifth year when Voldemort was destroyed, a lot of things changed. Now, when Hermione befriends Draco secretly, will there be something more? D/Hr  
  
Disclaimer: I. Do. NOT. Own. Harry. Potter. It's ALL J.K. Rowling's. Don't sue me.  
  
A/N: This is my first fan fic that I am posting. I'm all D/Hr. If you don't like the couple, you don't have to read it. No flaming please.  
  
Now, on with the story =D  
  
~*~  
  
Taking one last look at everyone around her, Hermione Granger slipped through the platform between 9 and 10. She was about to board the train to Hogwarts for her 6th time. This year, she would be boarding as a prefect.  
  
The Hogwarts Express was as comforting as ever. During her fifth year and over the summer, a lot of things had changed. She, herself, had changed drastically. She now had straight, non-bushy shoulder-length hair. Her eyes were no longer a deep chocolate brown but a mesmerizing yellowish- green. Her parents had taken her to the eye doctors after she had ran straight into a wall and she was told she needed glasses. But, she had chosen to get contacts instead of glasses and had gotten the color type of contacts. Her curves were now much more visible and smooth. Her new wardrobe did her body MUCH more justice than the heavy Hogwarts robes she *always* wore. True, she was still quite short but that didn't matter to her. All in all, she didn't really have that "Annoying Ms. Know-It-All Bookworm" look to her anymore.  
  
Voldemort was no longer alive. He had risen to power during Hermione's fifth year but was just recently defeated three months back. There was a huge battle between the Dark and Light sides that led to his demise. On the light side, there was Harry Potter (of course), Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonnagal, Rubeus Hagrid, Arthur Weasley, Severus Snape (he was a spy for the light side), Charlie Weasley, and *many* others. On the Dark, there was Voldemort and all of his Death Eaters, which DID include Lucius Malfoy. But, surprisingly, Draco Malfoy was *not* a Death Eater.  
  
Many people were lost in the war. Professor McGonnagal sacrificed herself so that Dumbledore would not be hit with the Killing Curse. Her death was mourned throughout Hogwarts and its staff. All but a few Death Eaters were killed and those who were not are currently in hiding from the Ministry of Magic. Lucius Malfoy was one of the few to escape. Draco and his mother Narcissa were scared of his return but overjoyed that he was no longer around.  
  
Hermione was happy for Draco. He was away from his abusive father and living a happy life with his mum. He seemed to become *much* nicer when not under the strict guide of his father.  
  
After a while of a quiet period, Hermione finally started talking again. She seemed to be in shock because of what happened. Draco had not called her a MudBlood since the beginning of Fifth year and she was very glad of it. When he apologized for the way he acted towards not only her, but also all of her friends, she couldn't stay mad at him for long. They secretly became friends.  
  
Now, she was boarding the train for her 6th year. Walking down the hallway, she hid behind a group of first years not wanting to be seen by Harry or Ron just quite yet. Sure, they were still "The Dream Team" and friends but she wanted Draco to see her first. He was, after all, what she considered to be her best friend since Harry and Ron had gotten girlfriends and seemed to forget about her.  
  
Harry had been going out with Cho since the middle of his fifth year and, for her, sixth year. Cho was still shocked and depressed about what had happened with Cedric but she seemed to be over it and happy with Harry. As for Ron, he was going out with Hannah Abbot, Hufflepuff prefect. He was always around her and never seemed to stop playing with her blonde pigtails. She was nice, really, just a bit annoying at times.  
  
Passing several doors, she finally saw the familiar glint of blonde hair through one of the windows and quietly knocked on the compartment door.  
  
"Come in." said a soft voice from inside whom she knew had to be Draco.  
  
Hermione stepped into the compartment but no matter how close they became in 5th year or how many letters she had sent to him over the summer (more than Harry and Ron combined), she wasn't ready for the sight before her.  
  
There stood Draco looking more beautiful than ever. His hair fell delicately across his face and right in front of his brilliant blue-gray eyes. She had to strongly push back the urge to reach out and brush away the locks that fell down. His black sweater showed off his well-toned chest and arms. He wore grayish jeans that fell loosely down his legs. A silver chain that had a silver pendant of a dragon with green eyes hung around his neck and sat on top of his chest. Hermione smiled seeing the chain. She had sent him that for his birthday.  
  
She woke up from her trance like state and noticed Draco with a shocked look on his face looking her up and down. She blushed realizing where his eyes stopped for a few seconds and then continued checking her out. When he finally looked up, he locked eyes with her and grinned.  
  
"Green eyes really do suit you well." He said before going forward and hugging her tightly.  
  
"Why, hello, Draco. Great to see you too." she managed to get out while losing breath from his tight embrace.  
  
Draco just laughed and *finally* let her go. His eyes seemed to dance when he took her hand and led her to the bench. Hermione sat down next to him and took out a bag of Berrie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.  
  
"Would you like one? It's no fun when you don't have anybody to share them with." she said taking one for herself and handing the bag to Draco.  
  
"Thanks. Hhmmm... I *think* I'll be safe with an apple colored one." he grabbed one and then abruptly spit it out onto the floor after taking just one bite. "EUGH! Boogey!"  
  
Hermione collapsed into a fit of giggles after taking a seeing the look on his face. "You.. should... *giggle* ..have.. *giggle* ..seen.. *giggle* ..the look.. on your face! It was *giggle* priceless!" she managed to get out through her laughing.  
  
Seeing no humor in it, Draco began to tickle Hermione, only succeeding in making her laugh even harder.  
  
After 10 minutes of a Tickle-War, Hermione pushed Draco down onto the bench and said, "We have to stop. I need to go to Harry and Ron. I'll talk to you later, Draco." She flashed him one of her brightest smiles and Draco could have swore his heart stopped beating for a while.  
  
Before she walked out, Hermione thought, "I can't believe I'm falling in love with Draco Malfoy, my best friend."  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
That's all for chapter one. I'm not too sure where I'm going with this or what to do next. Please review. =)  
  
-Brittany 


	2. Returning to Hogwarts

Only Once- Chapter 2  
  
~*~  
  
After about an hour of talking with Harry, Ron, Ginny, Cho, and occasionally Hannah, Hermione got up and headed back to the compartment where she met Draco earlier. She had to tell Harry and Ron she was tired and wanted to sleep though, since her friendship with Draco is a secret.  
  
She skidded to a stop in front of the compartment where Draco was. There were two voices talking inside. One was male (obviously Draco) and then a female voice. Hermione didn't recognize the girl's voice at all.  
  
"But, Dray-keee. Please! I'm bored."  
  
"Go find someone else to entertain you, Pansy. I don't want you here."  
  
"Pleeease."  
  
"I said. No. Now Leave. Now!" Hermione looked around quickly and jumped into the compartment across the hall, not wanting to be seen by Pansy. A group of scared first years gave her confused looks. Hermione just glared at them and told them to be quiet.  
  
Once she was sure Pansy had left and there was no one in the hallway, she left the first years' compartment and quietly slipped out and in to Draco's. He was sitting fairly close to the window just staring out with a disgusted look on his face. He did not even hear Hermione come in.  
  
"Hello, again." She startled him but once he saw whom it was he smiled and patted the seat next to him, signaling for her to sit down next to him. She calmly took the seat though her heart was thumping like wild because of what just happened and of being so close to Draco.  
  
"Hey," was all he said. "What's up?"  
  
"I got bored. Ron and Harry only talk about Quidditch. Quite annoying, really. Especially when you have Cho and Hannah giggling every time either of them describe one of their stunts."  
  
"Oh, really? Maybe you could. tell me what they were strategizing about?" Draco gave Hermione a sly look with an evil look in his eyes. She knew he was now the Slytherin Quidditch Captain (as Harry was the Gryffindor Quidditich Captain) and if he knew his game play, his team just might beat Gryffindor this year.  
  
Hermione playfully slapped Draco on the shoulder. "You know I can't do that. That would be un-loyal to Gryffindor!"  
  
"Now, now. You've already befriended the enemy in secrecy. You call that loyal?" Draco grinned when he saw her contemplating this and then shaking her head feverishly.  
  
"No. I can't do that to Harry and Ron! They wouldn't talk to me ever again."  
  
"I know, I know. Jeez, 'Mione. You know I was joking."  
  
Hermione stuck out her tongue and took her shoulder bag off to start rummaging through it.  
  
"I see you have your chain on." She smiled brightly as she once again looked at Draco's chain. He was almost never without it.  
  
Draco smiled and touched Hermione's neck. "And I see you're not wearing your necklace. Tsk, tsk. I thought that was a promise?"  
  
"Hey, I couldn't let Harry and Ron see it. They'd question me about it. What would I say? 'Oh, Draco gave it to me on my birthday as a promise that we'd always be friends no matter what.'? I don't think so. A-ha! Knew that little bugger was in here somewhere." He just laughed at her sarcasm.  
  
She smiled as she unhooked the clasp on the necklace and tried to put the necklace on. However, her hair was getting in the way. Draco took the necklace and told her to hold her hair back so it wouldn't get in the way. He delicately clipped the hooks together and let the necklace fall loosely around her neck. It was a beautiful lioness with shining red jewel eyes. The small chain that held the pendant was a brilliant silver that shown with a bright light reflecting the sun entering the compartment.  
  
"Thanks." She smiled at Draco and he muttered a small thanks. She then thought about if she should ask what had been bugging her ever since she became friends with Draco. She decided that she should do it now because there was no one around and she just wanted to get it over with. She knew that she would need to ask this sometime and there was no way around it.  
  
"Draco. Our friendship. how are we going to keep this a secret?" Draco seemed suddenly interested in the carpet of the compartment floor.  
  
"I really don't know Hermione. I really don't know." he sounded far off to Hermione as if dreading something. This sparked her curiosity but decided it was best left alone for now.  
  
They talked until they reached Hogsmeade where they got into a horseless- carriage together, avoiding Harry and Ron at all costs.  
  
~*~  
  
After a while, they reached Hogwarts.  
  
"I'll talk to you later, Draco. Please do owl me tonight. G'night." With that she stepped out of the carriage not giving Draco a chance to say goodbye. She always seemed to do that to him.  
  
When Hermione walked in to the Great Hall, it was as magnificent as ever. The sky was a dark blue that seemed to hold many secrets to it. The stars glowed brightly in the evening sky. A moon, with several planets surrounding it, were far off in the distance and the ceiling was charmed even further to have the occasional shooting star cross over it. Over each table floated candles that were the respective house's colors. At the Head table sat Dumbledore, all of the professors, and a new face.  
  
Hermione suspected this to be the new Transfiguration teacher to be taking place of Professor McGonagall. She (yes, it was a female) had short black hair and bright blue, almost gray, eyes. She wore emo glasses and looked to be quite young. No more than 26. She wore many pieces of jewelry including a simple black velvet choker, many earrings, quite a few bracelets and a necklace that looked to be a simple silver chain.  
  
Hermione stared at awe at this witch. She looked so young yet so powerful. Finally, Hermione took her seat at the Gryffindor table preparing to be bombarded with "Where were you?!"s. And that she did get. Harry, Ron, and Ginny all questioned her on this but before she could have time to answer, Professor Dumbledore spoke up.  
  
"May the Sorting Begin!" The new face then stepped up bringing the Sorting Hat and stool with her. She unrolled a piece of parchment and called out the first name. The girl, named Amanda, was sorted into Ravenclaw who cheered wildly for their new Housemate. This went on for about 30-45 minutes before the last person, a boy named Alex Crouse, was sorted into Slytherin. Dumbledore stood up and the excited chatter died down to a few tiny whispers.  
  
"Welcome back to Hogwarts. For many of you, this is yet another year here with us at Hogwarts. But, for others, it is just the beginning." He cast a glance to all the nervous first years settling in to their Houses. "I have a few start of term notices. Many of you know of the downfall of Voldemort." A few people in the crowd cringed at the mention of his name, even though he was gone. "We lost our Transfiguration professor in the war against him. That is why we have a new professor here. It is my pleasure to introduce to you, Professor Sherman."  
  
At this, the tall black-haired lady Hermione saw when entering the Great Hall stood up and took a bow. Most of the male population was oogling at her and paying no attention to anything else. This included Harry and Ron, which earned them glares from Cho and Hannah, across the room. Hermione was pleased to see that when she looked over at Draco, he was not oogling. She didn't know why but she felt a bit possessive of him. Actually, she did know why, she just didn't want to admit it to herself.  
  
When the teacher sat down, the applause that had burst out through the hall died down. Professor Dumbledore stood back up.  
  
"Professor Sherman will be the new Transfiguration teacher, taking place of Professor McGonagall and also taking place as the Head of Gryffindor House. Lastly, the Forbidden Forest is, obviously, forbidden. Now: Dig in!" And with that, food appeared on all of the golden plates as students all through the hall began to eat.  
  
Ron, being Ron, loaded his pile up with anything he could eat. This included chicken wings, steak, mashed potatoes, lima beans, green beans, corn on the cob, turkey, chicken, ham, ANYTHING! By the time the feast was over, Ron could barely stand up by himself. Hermione stood when the announcement was made for "Prefects to take the First Years to the dorms and then come back to the Great Hall," and went to the head of the Gryffindor table. Being as she was a Prefect and all.  
  
"First years this way! Come on this way! Follow me please." She screamed over the excited chatter of all four houses and led all of the 1st years down the halls and up to the Gryffindor tower. Now, she stood in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.  
  
"This is the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. To enter, you must speak the password. It is "Espon Boise." Please remember the password and if you do forget, ask an older Gryffindor please. Do not write it down, also. Thank you."  
  
She walked into the Common Room and smiled as all of the First Years jaws dropped as they viewed it for the first time.  
  
"This is your Common Room. Up the stair and to the left are the boys' dormitories. The same but to the right is where you will find the girls' dormitories. You will find all of your belongings already up there. Good Night."  
  
With that said, Hermione exited the Common Room and went into a jog on the way to the Great Hall.  
  
~*~  
  
When she entered the Great Hall, she was a bit out of breath from running/jogging all the way from the Gryffindor tower. There stood Professor Sherman, Draco, Hannah, Cho, Alec, and Fredrick. Cho was the Head Girl, Alec was the 6th year Ravenclaw Prefect, and Fredrick was a Hufflepuff who was HeadBoy.  
  
"Sorry I'm late." Hermione was quite out of breath and looked a bit flushed.  
  
Professor Snape was about to make a rude remark but Professor Sherman stopped him and told everyone to follow her up to the new quarters for Prefects and Heads.  
  
~*~  
  
When they arrived at the portrait, Hermione was still dazed trying to remember her way up to the portrait in one of the highest towers close to the Astronomy tower..  
  
The portrait in front of them was bright and had a green meadow with flowers all around. A silver unicorn with black hair was prancing around followed by a path of sparkles. It had a single red star on its backside, almost like a birthmark. The sun was shining brightly through the blue clouds. There were six elves that seemed to be chasing the unicorn. Each elf seemed to be in a pair and all very happy. The first two were a couple with a bright silver-blonde-haired, gray-eyed boy and a brown-haired, green- eyed girl. She assumed this was Draco and herself because of the juge resemblance. The next was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl, and a black- haired, black-eyed boy. These two had a resemblence to Hannah and Alec. The Head Boy and Girl were the last elves and they were a brownish-black- haired girl with brown eyes and a sandy blonde-haired ocean blue-eyed man.  
  
And, of course, these two were Cho and Fredrick.  
  
Finally snapping out of her stare, she noticed all the other Prefects/Heads staring at the picture with Professor Sherman unsuccessfully trying to snap them out of it.  
  
"The PASSWORD is 'Cascading Winds.' On the right hand side is the Slytherin and Gryffindor rooms and on the left is Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Straight ahead, there is a staircase that leads you up to a hallway. Down to the left is the bathroom and to the right is the Heads Rooms. Straight ahead from the stairs is a Private Library. Good Night and Enjoy." Professor Sherman walked away, leaving the Heads and Prefects there.  
  
"Cascading Winds." The portrait of the elves opened to reveal a very large common room. To the right, there were decorations of Slytherin and Gryffindor. And, just as McGonagall said, there were Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw to the left. Hermione went to the right and found two sets of doors. One said "Draco Malfoy- Slytherin Prefect" and the other said "Hermione Granger- Gryffindor Prefect." She pushed open the one to her room and walked in.  
  
It was magnificent. There was a large canopy bed in the middle of the room that lay on top of a rug decorated in scarlet and gold, the Gryffindor colors. The bedding was a white with scarlet and gold ascents on it. Across the room, there was a window bench, which was black velvet. A large desk was next to the window. All her stuff had already been put away so there was parchment, quills, and ink on the desk.  
  
She opened the closet to find it a large walk-in one. All of her school robes and muggle clothing was already in there as well. Her trunk also lay at the foot of her bed. She jumped on top of her bed and was delighted to find that it was soft. She could never sleep unless it was a soft mattress. When she was on her back, she looked up at the ceiling to see it charmed to be the sky, just like the Great Hall. This also made her very happy because she always did love the look of that ceiling.  
  
She fell asleep, thinking about the day to come and the year ahead of her.  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All I own is the plot, Alec, and Fredrick.  
  
Special Thanks To:  
  
Narisunell: Thanks!! I fixed what you were talking about. Harry is dating Cho and Ron is with Hannah Abbott. Thanks so much for your review. Though I don't think of myself as a good writer :p I hope you don't get bored, too XD  
  
That's Chapter 2 ^__^ Please do review. =D You get a cookie if you do XD -teases you by waving cookie in front of your faces- I'll update soon. hopefully.  
  
//*laughs at her own daftness* I'm sorry guys. I'mn still getting used to the fact that there is no longer a Professor McGonagall :p Sorry, I fixed that up. thanks to "hehehe" for making me see that!//  
  
-Brittany 


	3. Reminiscing

Only Once- Chapter 3  
  
A/N: Sorry I haven't written in a while. I've been sick a lot lately and that has been deducting from my computer time. Anyway, sorry this is such a short chapter and it doesn't really continue on with most of the story's action. XD Enjoyish.  
  
~*~  
  
That night, Hermione slept very peacefully with images of Draco going through her head. It was like flashbacks of their time together and when she woke up, she was very happy to remember the dreams.  
  
She remembered having a dream about finding Draco crying quietly, in the corner pf the library. She had comforted him and let him cry on her shoulder, whispering soothing words to this boy she thought to be made of stone.  
  
But, indeed, he was definitely not made of stone. He was as human as any one else in Hogwarts and proved it to her that day. He opened up to her and told her about his mother's constant worries of Lucius' return. How he had to keep her sane when he was not at Hogwarts and how she plagued his thoughts and worries when he was. Draco had as much feelings and emotions as Hermione. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before.  
  
But how could she when he had a mask that hid the real him from the world? Ensured that no one but himself knew what he was really like. Made positive that he was safe from being hurt. He was already hurt enough in his life, as Hermione had learned. His father had guided his every move when he was around. No decision could be made by anyone but Lucius.  
  
At first, she felt pity for Draco. Never had she known him to be in such a depressing position. After a while, she realized that pity was not what he needed. He needed a true friend.  
  
That's exactly what Hermione had become.  
  
~*~  
  
After taking a shower and getting ready for the day, still spending her thoughts reminiscing on the dreams of the past, Hermione started down towards the Great Hall. She was a bit early and figured this good because she could go to the library for a while before classes started.  
  
On her way down, she heard footsteps approaching. The gained speed and felt that someone was following her. Or trying to catch up with her. She decided it was safer to assume the latter and turned around to see whom it was.  
  
Why, it was Draco Malfoy, of course.  
  
His new Slytherin robes fit perfectly to his body. Hermione couldn't help but to have an once-over of him. She noticed Draco doing the same to her and blushed under his intense gaze.  
  
"Good morning, milady." He took her hand in his and laid a kiss on top of her knuckles. "You look dazzling on this fair day. Of what occasion is the cause?"  
  
"First day of lessons, silly! I'm so excited! Aren't you, Draco?" she asked, even if she already knew the answer. Hermione knew he didn't -particularly- like classes and just asked him this to annoy him.  
  
He knew what she was playing at, seeing the large grin on her face and decided to go along with it. "Why, yes, darling. You know I -adore- class. How could you forget?" He held his hand over his opened mouth in mock shock (hehe) and started making "tsk" noises.  
  
Hermione nearly tripped down the steps they were descending because of what he said but caught on to him and smacked him in the back of the head, instead.  
  
"My hair! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You messed it up!!!" Hermione started laughing uncontrollably at how much Draco sounded like a girl. He tried to put it back in place but then it would pop right back up after a few seconds.  
  
Giving up, Draco said goodbye to Hermione, told her he would meet her in the library in 10 minutes, and ran into the nearest bathroom (which wasn't that close, mind you.) This left Hermione all alone, to enter the library without Draco.  
  
'Good,' she thought. 'No body will be suspicious about our friendship.'  
  
Another side of her conscience tried to say something but Hermione put it in its proper place before it even spoke.  
  
~*~  
  
Hermione walked in to the library and was greeted by a simple nod from Madam Pince. Hermione smiled back and went to her secluded area in the back of the library. She called it 'hers' because barely anyone went there. But today, someone was there.  
  
This someone was one of her best friends, Virginia (a.k.a. Ginny) Weasley. She did not look to be in a good state mostly due to the tears streaming down her face, torn clothing and a bruised body.  
  
When she looked up, Ginny saw Hermione and immediately ran over to the older girl. She threw her arms around Hermione's shoulders who was still too shocked to do anything except stand there. She eventually got over the state of shock she was in from seeing Ginny so. bad looking and started to pat her back and whisper soothing words to her ears.  
  
"Ginny.. Please don't cry. It'll be okay. whatever happened, it's gonna be alright." Minutes later, Ginny's sobbing stopped and Hermione let the girl go. She looked at her sniffling face and then at her shoulder where there was torn material and blood dripping out. Her socks were uneven and she also noticed a missing shoe.  
  
"Gin. what happened? Please.. tell me.." Hermione sat Ginny down at the table and told her to explain.  
  
"It. happened in the hallway. I figured I'd get up early to get ready for today, being as it IS the first day of class and all. Well, I was heading outside when.. Crabbe and Goyle came up to me. They. they cornered me and then. they tried to make me kiss them. among other things. They had the smell of butter beer on their breath so I'm guessing they had a bit too much to drink. I.I don't know what I would've done if Malfoy hadn't come up and told them to stop. Odd really. he was actually civil to me, a Weasley."  
  
"Oh, Gin! I'm so sorry. That's disgusting. You need to tell someone about this. How'd you get into the library without Madam Pince seeing you in this.. state? Are you sure you're okay? We need to take you to the infirmary. Oh, I'm so sorry."  
  
Hermione was stunned at how disgusting of Vincent and Gregory's actions were but very happy at what Draco had done to prevent them from hurting her anymore.  
  
"Listen, Gin. About Malfoy." She trailed off not knowing how to explain this to her or how she would take it.  
  
"What about me, Granger?" Hermione had never really saw meaning behind the phrase "Speak of the devil" until then. She shot him a grateful glance and then looked pointedly towards Ginny.  
  
Realization dawned on Draco as he saw Ginny again. He should have taken her to the infirmary but told her to wait for Hermione at the library instead while he took care of Crabbe and Goyle. They both would be expelled for their actions and he was glad that he would no longer have those two brainless goons always following him around anymore. He was also happy that Ginny was okay, given the circumstances.  
  
Hermione took a deep breath, deciding that she could trust Ginny with this secret since she was always the understanding one out of all her friends. Besides Draco, that is.  
  
"This might be a bit hard for you to take. But.. I trust you with this, Gin. Before we tell you, you MUST promise that you won't tell anyone. Not even Harry or Ron."  
  
Ginny shook her head vigorously since it was very rare for Hermione to not want Harry and Ron knowing something.  
  
Hermione gave a glance towards Draco who was staring right back at her. He gave a short nod and she continued.  
  
"Draco and I are friends.. We've been friends in secret since the middle of fifth year. We were afraid to tell everyone, with the rise of Voldemort and all. I mean, what would they think of us? Ya know? Even now, it wouldn't be entirely accepted for a Slytherin and Gryffindor, Pureblood and Mudblood, to be friends. Please. We understand each other. He's changed, Ginny. He really has." Hermione finally ended seeing an amused/shocked/understanding look on her older friend's face.  
  
'Amused because she rambled on, AGAIN. Shocked because of. this whole. THING. and, well. Understanding of the whole friendship. In a way.' Ginny thought to herself, still staring at Hermione.  
  
"So. Are you.. er.. sorta okay with this?" Hermione asked, hopefully looking into Ginny's eyes which were still bloodshot and clouded over from tears.  
  
"As long as you're happy, Herm, I can deal with it."  
  
Hermione smiled brightly and threw her arms around Ginny's shoulders but pulled back when she flinched.  
  
"I'm SOO sorry. I forgot about that. Oh, Gin. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."  
  
Ginny chuckled at her, YET AGAIN, rambling friend and waved it off.  
  
For the first time in a while, Draco spoke up. "We should take you to the infirmary. Get those wounds healed up."  
  
Hermione and Ginny nodded and they all set off for the Hospital Wing, Ginny using Hermioine for support for walking.  
  
~*~  
  
Hehe. Sorry for the long delay, again. ^__^ That's all I can think of for chapter 3 so, forgive me. =( lol. Please do review! Comments, criticism, anything is welcome =D  
  
Narisunell: Hehehe. Thank you SO much. Even though I don't think of myself as a "good" writer, I'll let you think so =P Hmm. It's a magic cookie that becomes whatever knid you want it to be XD hehehehe. I try to go into detail a lot too =DD Sorry for keeping you waiting, though ;) I'll be writing more frequently now. =D  
  
PhoenixRae: Thanks =D I also like when they start off being friends. OR, when Draco has an obsession with Hermione/stalks her XD That's always fun 


End file.
